Portable Air Conditioning Device

ABSTRACT

A portable air conditioning device. The portable air conditioning device has a housing which defines a hollow interior cavity and a primary compartment. The primary compartment can store ice or other cold materials. A pump is in fluid communication with the primary compartment and pulls water that forms from the melting ice out of the primary compartment into a hollow tubing. A fan blows air across a portion of the hollow tubing and a vent enables the air to pass to a space exterior to the housing. A power source is operably connected to the fan and the pump. The portable air conditioning device can provide cool air to a user by blowing air across the tubing and through a vent, thereby providing a cooling breeze to a user, while keeping food, beverages, and similar items stored within the primary compartment at a cold temperature.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/774,401 filed on Dec. 3, 2018. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to air conditioning devices. Moreparticularly, the present invention provides a portable air conditioningdevice that can create a cooling breeze for a user while keeping itemsstored within the device fresh and cold.

Many people enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors. Keeping coolwhile outdoors, in a vehicle, and the like can be difficult on warm andhot days. Some vehicles may have malfunctioning air conditioning systemsor poor airflow, leading to people becoming hot and potentiallyoverheated. Opening the windows of the vehicle may provide some relief,but this is typically not enough to keep an individual cool. People whospend a considerable amount of time outdoors may be unable to findenough shade to keep cool throughout the day or may not want to rootthemselves to one area and would rather wander and explore.

Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to airconditioning devices. These include devices that have been patented anddisclosed in patent application publications. However, the devices inthe known art have several drawbacks. Some devices are insulated chestswith holes to allow cold air to be blown therethrough. Such devices donot have an isolated storage space which can be used to keep food andbeverages cold and separated from water resulting from melting ice. Somedevices include a separate storage compartment for storing food andbeverages, but these devices blow warm outside air directly across thefood and beverage compartment. These devices also do not include a pumpto remove water from the primary compartment that forms as the icemelts.

The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from theknown art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the artfor an improvement to existing air conditioning devices. In this regardthe present invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofair conditioning devices now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides a portable air conditioning device wherein the samecan be utilized for creating a cooling breeze for a user while keepingitems stored within the device fresh and cold. The present portable airconditioning device comprises a housing which defines a hollow interiorcavity and a primary compartment. The primary compartment can store iceor other cold materials. A pump is in fluid communication with theprimary compartment and pulls water that forms from the melting ice outof the primary compartment into a hollow tubing. A fan blows air acrossa portion of the hollow tubing and a vent enables the air to pass to aspace exterior to the housing. A power source is operably connected tothe fan and the pump.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a top-down view of an embodiment of the portable airconditioning device.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the portable airconditioning device.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of the portable airconditioning device.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the portable airconditioning device with a focus on the tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the portable air conditioning device. For the purposes ofpresenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, apreferred embodiment will be discussed as used for creating a coolingbreeze and providing insulated storage for food, beverages, or similaritems. The figures are intended for representative purposes only andshould not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a top-down view of an embodimentof the portable air conditioning device. The portable air conditioningdevice comprises a housing 100 defining a hollow interior cavity 210 anda primary compartment 120. In the shown embodiment, the housing 100 alsoincludes a hingedly connected lid 190 that provides access to the hollowinterior cavity 210 and the primary compartment 120 of the housing 100.Further, in the shown embodiment, the lid 190 can lock into a closedconfiguration to enclose the hollow interior cavity 210 and the primarycompartment 120. A pair of buttons 191 disposed on opposing sides of thelid 190 can be depressed to enable the lid 190 to rotate about an axis,thereby exposing the primary compartment 120. In this manner, a user canfill the primary compartment 120 with desired materials, such as ice tokeep the primary compartment cold, as well as food, beverages, and otheritems the user desires to keep cold. The lid 190 can then be rotatedabout the axis back to an closed configuration, at which point the lid190 is locked in a closed position until the buttons 191 are depressedagain. In other embodiments, the lid 190 is removably securable to thehousing 100. In the shown embodiment, the lid 190 comprises a triangularcross-section, wherein a handle is disposed on an apex of the lid 190which can be used to transport the device (as shown if FIG. 2).

In another embodiment, the primary compartment 120 is composed of analuminum material. Aluminum is a material with a high thermalconductivity. Because of the utilization of aluminum materials, when theprimary compartment 120 is filled with a cold material, such as ice, thealuminum material will cool down to a cold temperature. Heat that ispresent in an attached tubing and liquid therein, as described below,can be drawn out by contact with the cold aluminum, thereby cooling thetubing and the water contained therein. In another embodiment, theprimary compartment 120 is composed of a material having a low thermalconductivity. Such a material is advantageous in that heat escapes lessquickly from the primary compartment 120 into the surroundingenvironment. In this manner, the primary compartment 120 is adapted tomaintain temperatures therein that are colder than the surroundingenvironment. In one embodiment, the material with a low thermalconductivity is steel.

A pump 130 is in fluid communication with the primary compartment 120.The pump 130 is configured to pull water out of the primary compartment120 and into a hollow tubing 200. In the shown embodiment, the pump 130is disposed in a bottom portion of the primary compartment 120. As icemelts, or condensation forms, water will form and pool in the bottom ofthe primary compartment 120. The pump 130 is oriented and configured topull such melt-water, condensation, and other liquids from the bottom ofthe primary compartment 120 and pump them into the hollow tubing 200. Inone embodiment, the pump 130 is configured to circulate the liquidthrough the hollow tubing 200 and deposit the liquid back to the primarycompartment 120 via an exit port 201. The pump 130 is operably connectedto a power source as further detailed below.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a cross-sectional view ofan embodiment of the portable air conditioning device, and a side viewof an embodiment of the portable air conditioning device, respectively.The hollow tubing 200 is configured to receive and circulate a fluidtherethrough. In the shown embodiment, the hollow tubing 200 is operablyconnected to the pump 130 disposed in the bottom of the primarycompartment 120. Further, in the shown embodiment, the hollow tubing 200extends through a sidewall 209 of the primary compartment 120 and intothe hollow interior cavity 210. In one embodiment, the hollow tubing 200comprises an aluminum material. Such an aluminum material has a highthermal conductivity, such that heat can be transferred from an outsidesource to the hollow tubing at greater efficiency than when usingmaterials having a lower thermal conductivity. The aluminum materialalso allows the heat to be transferred from the hollow tubing 200 to thefluid therein. Where the primary compartment 120 is filled with a coldsubstance, such as ice 121, the hollow tubing 200 will cool down. Airfrom an external source is introduced to the system, as further detailedbelow, and is cooled by transferring heat from the air to the hollowtubing 200, and the liquid therein. The resulting cooled air can then beblown out of the housing 100 through a vent, as detailed below, toprovide a cooling breeze to a user.

In one embodiment, the hollow tubing 200 further comprises a first coil201 and a second coil 202. The two coils 201, 202 provide additionalsurface area through which the fluid can contact as the fluid istransported through the hollow tubing 200. The additional surface areaprovides greater efficiency in heat transfer. In one embodiment, thefirst coil 201 is disposed in a first end 205 of the hollow interiorcavity 210, and the second coil 202 is disposed in a second end 206 ofthe hollow interior cavity 210. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thetwo coils 201, 202 are disposed at opposing ends of the primarycompartment 120. In this manner, the coils 201, 202 can provide greatersurface area to a fan and a vent disposed in opposing ends of thehousing 100, as discussed below. In another embodiment, the hollowtubing 200 encircles the primary compartment 120 multiple times via thehollow interior cavity 210 to provide additional surface area throughwhich heat can be transferred from external air to the hollow tubing 200and liquid therein.

A power source 290 is operably connected to the fan 300 and the pump130. In the shown embodiment, the power source 290 is a rechargeablebattery. In another embodiment, the power source 290 is a removablysecurable battery. In one embodiment, the power source 290 is operablyconnected to a USB port 291 disposed on an exterior side of the housing100. The USB port 291 can be utilized to charge the power source 290 ofthe device and can also be utilized to charge an external device, suchas a cellphone or tablet.

In one embodiment, a drain plug 230 is configured to drain fluid fromthe hollow interior cavity 210. As fluid travels through the coils andhollow tubing 200, condensation can form on an exterior of the hollowtubing 200. Such condensation can pool at the bottom of the hollowinterior cavity 210. The drain plug 230 is removably secured to thehousing 100 and provides access to the hollow interior cavity 210 suchthat a user can drain condensation from the hollow interior cavity 210by pouring the condensate therethrough.

In one embodiment, the housing 100 comprises an insulating material 220.In the shown embodiment, the insulating material 220 is disposed aroundan outer surface of the primary compartment 120. The insulating material220 can maintain a temperature in the primary compartment 120 relativeto an outside temperature. For example, where the primary compartment120 is filled with a cold material, such as ice, the insulation material220 is configured to insulate the primary compartment 120 from anexternal source of heat, thereby preventing the pre-mature melting ofthe ice. In various embodiments, the insulating material 220 comprisesmultiple layers and various materials such as insulating foam.

In one embodiment, at least one fan 300 is disposed in the housing. Inthe shown embodiment, the at least one fan 300 is disposed on a firstend of the housing. In various other embodiments, the at least one fan300 can be disposed on any surface of the housing including a frontsurface and a back surface. For example, in one embodiment, two fans 300are disposed on a front surface of the housing. The fan 300 is operablyconnected to the hollow interior cavity 210 such that the fan 300 canblow air from outside the device into the hollow interior cavity 210. Inthis manner, outside warm air can be introduced to the system via thehollow interior cavity 210. When the outside warm air comes isintroduced into the hollow interior cavity 210, it comes into contactwith a relatively colder hollow tubing 200 resulting in the air coolingdown. In one embodiment, at least one fan 300 is configured to blow airacross a portion of the hollow tubing 200. By directly blowing airacross at least one portion of the hollow tubing 200, the efficiency atwhich the warm air cools down is amplified. In one embodiment, the fan300 is operably connected to a fan control 301 for modulating the speedof the fan 300. In the shown embodiment, the fan control 301 is a dialwhich can be selectively adjusted to increase or decrease the speed ofthe fan 300.

At least one vent 310 is configured to enable the air to pass to a spaceexterior to the housing 100. In the shown embodiment, the vent 310 isdisposed in the housing. In the shown embodiment, the at least one vent310 is disposed on a second end of the housing. In various otherembodiments, the at least one vent 310 can be disposed on any surface ofthe housing including a front surface and a back surface. For example,in one embodiment, two vents 310 are disposed on a back surface of thehousing. The vent 310 is operably connected to the hollow interiorcavity 210 and provides a pathway through which air can exit the hollowinterior cavity 210 into a space exterior to the housing 100. Thepathway enables the air to circulate in the hollow interior cavity 210and maximize the amount of surface area of the primary compartment thatthe volume of air comes into contact with, such as by circulating thevolume of air around the entire perimeter of the primary compartmentbefore leaving the hollow interior cavity 210 into a space exterior tothe housing 100 via the at least one vent 310. In various embodiments,the vent 310 can be positioned to enable a user to selectively adjustthe flow of air in a chosen direction. In further embodiments, the vent310 includes movable baffles 311 which can be adjusted to furthercontrol the direction of the flow of air out of the hollow interiorcavity 210 into a space exterior to the housing 100.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of anembodiment of the portable air conditioning device with a focus on thetray. A tray 400 is sized to fit within the primary compartment 120. Inthe shown embodiment, the tray 400 includes a lip 401 that is configuredto be received by a ledge 402 disposed on the primary compartment 120.In this manner, the tray 400 is supported by the ledge 402 and can bedisposed at a top portion of the primary compartment 120. In oneembodiment, the tray further comprises a removable tray battery 410. Ina further embodiment, the tray further comprises a tray USB port 420.The tray USB port 420 is operably connected to the removable traybattery 410 in order to provide power to the tray USB port 420. The trayUSB port 420 can power external devices, such as a cellphone or atablet, attached thereto. In one embodiment, the removable tray battery410 is encased in a waterproof battery compartment 411 such thatmoisture and fluids are kept out of the compartment containing the traybattery 410. In another embodiment, the tray USB port 420 is encased ina waterproof USB compartment 421.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) A portable air conditioning device, comprising: a housingdefining a hollow interior cavity and a primary compartment; a pump influid communication with the primary compartment; wherein the pump pullswater out of the primary compartment and into a hollow tubing; at leastone fan configured to blow a volume of air across a portion of thehollow tubing; at least one vent configured to enable the volume of airto pass to a space exterior to the housing; a power source operablyconnected to the at least one fan and the pump; and a tray sized to fitwithin the primary compartment. 2) The portable air conditioning deviceof claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an insulating material. 3) Theportable air conditioning device of claim 1, wherein the primarycompartment comprises an aluminum material. 4) The portable airconditioning device of claim 1, wherein the hollow tubing comprises analuminum material. 5) The portable air conditioning device of claim 1,wherein the pump circulates water through the hollow tubing. 6) Theportable air conditioning device of claim 1, wherein the tray furthercomprises a removable battery. 7) The portable air conditioning deviceof claim 1, wherein the at least one fan is disposed in the housing. 8)The portable air conditioning device of claim 1, wherein the at leastone fan is operably connected to a fan control for modulating the speedof the fan. 9) The portable air conditioning device of claim 1, whereinthe power source is operably connected to at least one USB port. 10) Theportable air conditioning device of claim 1, further comprising a drainplug configured to drain a fluid from the hollow interior cavity. 11) Aportable air conditioning device, comprising: a housing defining ahollow interior cavity and a primary compartment; a pump in fluidcommunication with the primary compartment; wherein the pump pulls waterout of the primary compartment and into a hollow tubing; the hollowtubing comprising a first coil and a second coil; the first coildisposed in a first end of the hollow interior cavity; the second coildisposed in a second end of the hollow interior cavity; at least one fanconfigured to blow a volume of air across a portion of the hollowtubing; at least one vent configured to enable the volume of air to passto a space exterior to the housing; a power source operably connected tothe at least one fan and the pump; and a tray sized to fit within theprimary compartment. 12) The portable air conditioning device of claim11, wherein the housing comprises an insulating material. 13) Theportable air conditioning device of claim 11, wherein the primarycompartment comprises an aluminum material. 14) The portable airconditioning device of claim 11, wherein the hollow tubing comprises analuminum material. 15) The portable air conditioning device of claim 11,wherein the pump circulates water through the hollow tubing. 16) Theportable air conditioning device of claim 11, wherein the tray furthercomprises a removable battery. 17) The portable air conditioning deviceof claim 11, wherein the at least one fan is disposed in the housing.18) The portable air conditioning device of claim 11, wherein the atleast one fan is operably connected to a fan control for modulating thespeed of the fan. 19) The portable air conditioning device of claim 11,wherein the power source is operably connected to at least one USB port.20) The portable air conditioning device of claim 11, further comprisinga drain plug configured to drain a fluid from the hollow interiorcavity.